Mathilde Panot rejects the Pink October cancer awareness campaign

Mathilde Panot, a French lawmaker with the left-wing party La France Insoumise, says she will not wear the pink ribbon associated with Pink October.

The annual campaign promotes breast cancer screening and raises money for research.

Panot argues that the campaign’s history is tied to a company that made both pesticides and cancer treatments, and she criticizes links between pesticide companies and Israel.

She also says politicians who support the campaign are hypocritical if they back the return of pesticides she says can harm children’s brains.

The campaign began in 1985 through a partnership between ICI and the American Cancer Society, while the pink ribbon was introduced in 1992 by Estée Lauder and a US magazine.

Political figures from the centre and far right have criticized Panot, accusing her of using the issue for political purposes or focusing too much on Israel.

Panot calls for an “October of anger” instead, linking her message to recent protests against pesticides.